WARREN GATLAND insists his hungry young Lions are ready to devour the All Blacks after ending their 16-year wait for a Test series victory.

Australia had no answer to the class and power of the Lions on Saturday as they crashed to a 41-16 defeat in Sydney.

That thumping success sealed a 2-1 series win for Gatland’s side and the head coach was thrilled to see so many young players play a key part on the triumphant tour.

Leigh Halfpenny, George North, Alex Corbisiero, Sam Warburton, Dan Lydiate and Toby Faletau are all aged 25 or under so they will be hitting their peak when the next tour comes around in 2017.

And Gatland believes they are talented enough to give New Zealand a beating in their own backyard.

It’s 42 years since the Lions last won a tour on Kiwi soil but Gatland, a New Zealander himself, believes the long wait could be coming to an end.

Asked if he thought the Lions could prevail in 2017, Gatland said: “Yes – if we get things right in terms of the preparation and stuff.

“If you look at how young this squad is then a lot of them could be around in four years’ time.

“If they are playing well enough and you have four more years’ experience on some young heads, that potentially makes the Lions squad incredibly strong.

“That is something to be excited about. The amount of interest it has created, I am sure the sponsors are pretty happy and the people who are involved in negotiating things for the future of the Lions.

“You always have to believe that when you go somewhere you go there to win. The whole focus on this tour was the Test series win.”

Gatland was the forwards coach on the 2009 tour of South Africa before stepping into the hotseat for the trip Down Under.

For all that time he has also been head coach of Wales and the 49-year-old will stay in charge of the Welsh side until after the 2015 World Cup in England.

His future remains unclear after that tournament but the prospect of leading the Lions in his homeland appeals.

Gatland said: “Winning a couple of Grand Slams with Wales and reaching the semi-final of the World Cup has given me the opportunity to coach the Lions.

“I’m grateful for the chance and if it came up again then it’s something I might look at.

“I am committed to Wales for the 2015 World Cup.

“Now that the Lions tour has finished, I’m really excited about what Wales could potentially achieve with the group of players we have, with the talent we have.

“We have a chance of doing well in the Six Nations and World Cup. After 2015 I will think about my future. I may just hang up the boots and go to the beach, sit down with a glass of red wine and a cigar.”

Gatland came under fire for naming 10 of his trusted Welsh stars in the side for Saturday’s decider.

Two of those players – Jamie Roberts and Jonathan Davies – were included at the expense of Irish legend Brian O’Driscoll in midfield and a host of former Lions blasted the coach for leaving out someone with such vast experience.

But Gatland was more than vindicated by his side’s storming display in Sydney as Corbisiero, Jonny Sexton, North and Roberts all ran over for tries.

Halfpenny also kicked five penalties and three conversions to cap an almost flawless team display as the head coach was rewarded for sticking to his guns.

Gatland never wavered in his belief that dropping O’Driscoll would be best for the team after learning a valuable lesson from his days as Ireland coach.

He said: “We lost an away game to Scotland and it cost Ireland a Grand Slam. Tactically, I changed the way we played because I was influenced by some selections.

“I promised myself I would never do that again, that I would never back down from what I felt would be the right decision. On 50-50 calls, sometimes you can be swayed by other coaches but when you believe deep down it’s the right decision you have to back yourself 100 per cent.

“I would rather make what I thought was the right decision rather than have any regrets.”

Scots played precious little part in the three Tests with Richie Gray’s 12-minute cameo as a sub in Sydney our only involvement.

But Scotland legend Andy Irvine was the tour manager and he hopes lessons are learned about scheduling ahead of the New Zealand trip.

The Aviva Premiership and RaboDirect PRO 12 finals took place only 48 hours before the Lions left London this year – which meant players involved in those games took no part in pre-tour training.

And former Scotland star Irvine said: “It is absolutely bonkers you have a Rabo final and an Aviva final 48 hours before you fly out. Believe me, we tried as hard as we could to change that.

“I am not sure if we can change it in 2017 but once the touring deal between the Lions and Australia, New Zealand and South Africa comes up for negotiation our boys will get more time with the players.

“There is a contract in place. Unless both parties agree to changing the deal, you can’t break it.

“We are powerless to break it, unless we have the agreement of the New Zealand Rugby Union or the clubs back home.

“You try to persuade Premiership clubs to move their final, or try to persuade European Rugby Cup to move their final. If you can do it, you are a better man than me.

“We’ve offered them money and tried to impress upon them how important Lions tours are.”